Hearty Beef Stew

It’s the middle of winter here in California, and as you know that means freezing cold days, blizzards at night, icy roads, heavy coats and—-oh wait. That’s the rest of the country!

I realized sometime this week that amidst the 60˚F sunny weather, I’d forgotten it was winter. Usually, in Tennessee, I’d be cooking hearty, warming stews and roasts around this time of year. Not so in California! I’ve been cooking, well, whatever! Without regard to the weather.

But thinking about stew made me reeeeeeeeallllllyyyy want stew! So I present to you: Hearty Beef Stew.

This stew is quick to whip together; takes about 20 minutes to prepare, and then you just simmer it for an hour. I think it’s a great meal for when you’re short on time and/or don’t feel like doing a lot of prep work. It also makes leftovers for days, which is always great in my book!

I told you it was easy prep, remember? Throw a few tablespoons of butter into the pot and heat it up while you cut the onions. Be generous. Everyone loves butter. Next, chop the onion in half, then into quarters. That’s it. No dicing! Toss the onion into the pot.

Wash your celery and slice them like the carrots, then toss into the pot. Add more butter for good measure, and stir.

As the veggies soften, add in a few pinches of herbs and mix well. Let them sit for a min and brown. When the veggies are beginning to brown on one side, add in the beef broth, milk, and rice. Stir, bring to a boil, cover, reduce temperature to low, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, take your chuck roast and cut it into 1″ cubes. Toss in a bit of salt. Heat a large cast iron skillet on high heat with a small chunk of butter, and toss the meat in there in a single layer. Brown on one side, then flip/stir. Continue cooking until meat is mostly done, with a bit of pink in the middle. Then, turn off heat.

When the rice and veggies have simmered for 40 minutes, add the beef to the pan (don’t mix it yet!), and sprinkle 1/4 cup einkorn flour evenly on the meat. Now you can mix it! ;) Stir it all together, and continue to simmer for 10 more minute or until rice is soft. Season with black pepper. Enjoy! :)